Three Selma High students, Viktorya Chavez, Bethany Cazares, and Madison Akin have been accepted into the Blue Devils B Drum and Bugle Corps performance group after auditioning in Concord, CA. Although only Cazares and Akin will attend, this is still a very exciting moment for them, as the Blue Devils B is a highly competitive drill performance group. They will perform with Blue Devils B, a group tied to the Blue Devils organization that allows additional youth to march in Drum Corps while in high school. The group will be going on a California tour, performing in many different cities around the state.
“I have always dreamed of being able to perform in a Drum Corps since middle school when I first discovered it, especially Blue Devils B,” junior Bethany Cazares said. “It’s been a dream of mine for such a long time, and I never thought that it would ever come true.”
Cazares has been in color guard for four years and is currently going into her fifth year. This was her first year auditioning for a Drum Corps.
Sophomore Madison Akin has also been in color guard for four years, for a total of seven seasons. She was overjoyed when she learned about her acceptance into the group.
“I feel really great, I had a lot of self doubt and I really didn’t think I would make it but I tried my best and I remember opening the letter screaming and running back to [my friends] out of excitement,” Akin shared.
Although being a part of Blue Devils B wasn’t something Akin ever thought of, once she joined Colorguard, she always looked up to the Blue Devils performance group and made it her goal to be as good as them.
“It feels absolutely surreal that I’ve been accepted into this group,” Cazares said. “The first time I ever learned about color guard was through a screen in 2020. It felt impossible to my freshman self to ever be considered for a group as prestigious as this one, let alone be contracted.”
Now that these girls are officially a part of Blue Devils B, they are working on improving their skills for their performances.
“I really need to work on my technique and get some of the higher tosses,” Akin expressed.
Cazares is focusing on wanting to make the most out of her experience and absorb as much knowledge as she can by working with people who have different perspectives and come from different backgrounds.
Rehearsals for Blue Devils B will begin in April right after Selma High School’s Winter Guard season ends. The performance group will officially start performing in July.
